It's no secret that Cotuit residents sometimes resent the perceived lack of a police presence in this tranquil, tree-lined hamlet -- sometimes to the point of threatening secession.

"It's fair to say the village feels neglected, but it is because it's a quiet area -- people understand this and expect less -- but want a little more than less," says Ron Mycock, a member of the village's board of fire commissioners.

In that case, villagers could decide to have a police department of their own. The fire district's charter allows it. Problem is, district taxpayers would have to foot the bill in addition to supporting the townwide police department.

Would they or wouldn't they?

Cotuit's first-ever citizen survey, set to be mailed next month to all property taxpayers, attempts to address this particular issue obliquely by asking, in one set of questions, to what degree district taxpayers would support "increased police patrols."

That's just one query among others in several pages of draft questions that attempt to gauge the villagers' degree of support for various projects or programs, how much interest they have in district affairs, their level of satisfaction with current services and whether they would be willing to pay more in district taxes to accomplish improvements and/or increase services.

There was general consensus on a district survey and last year $20,000 was appropriated for the policy panel.

"With a little money, the committee had something to do," Mycock said. "We're reaching out to the owners of the village's approximately 2,100 properties so that we can get an idea of the priorities."

Mycock, real estate and insurance agent in Cotuit, a fire commissioner and member of the district policy committee, says the survey has been fashioned after one sent out by the town. The townwide survey has led to considerable development in the Hyannis downtown growth incentive zone.

The town survey also determined that there was 83 percent support for a privately funded performing arts center downtown, 83 percent satisfaction with police protection (the other 17 percent from Cotuit?) and overwhelming agreement that traffic is definitely a significant problem, among other findings.

One major difference in the surveys is that the one in Cotuit will attempt to reach every individual district taxpayer, whereas the townwide survey was done on a sample of townwide respondents.

"We're also using the same agency, the Institute for Regional Development at Bridgewater State College, that conducted the town survey," Mycock said.

"We're going to have three mailings, because," he said, "the committee wants to make sure every taxpayer has a say in the village's future. We hope the people will respond and not just throw it (the survey and the future) away. I can't believe how depersonalized the questions are," and the simplicity with which they can be answered, he said.